Massage therapy involves the manual manipulation of superficial and deep tissue to achieve a beneficial effect for a patient. Relaxation massage, such as Swedish massage, is suggested to increase oxygen levels and circulation of blood in a massage patient and generally enhance the overall well-being of the massage patient. Therapeutic massage, such as myofacial release, can be used to improve the flexibility of the tissues in a massage patient for relieving pain and reducing stress to improve patient health.
Existing communication practices of therapeutic massage typically involve verbal instruction and feedback exchanged between a massage patient and a massage professional (e.g., a masseur/masseuse) during the therapeutic massage session. For example, the massage patient may verbally describe the desired therapeutic massage to the massage professional prior to the therapeutic massage. Further, the massage patient may inform the massage professional about the amount of pain experienced as the therapeutic massage is applied to a particular area of the body so that the massage professional can adjust the therapeutic massage to improve the comfort of the massage patient.